Toy utility or dump truck



April 5, 1955' J. G.- GOKEY TOY UTILITY 0R DUMP TRUCK Original Filed April 17, 1950 IMF/n26? Joseph G. Gokey United States Patent TOY UTILITY OR DUMP TRUCK Joseph G. Gokey, Freeport, Ill., assignor to Structo Manufacturing Company, Freeport, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Original application April 17, 1950, Serial No. 156,364.

Divided and this application September 24, 1952, Serial No. 311,185

4 Claims. (Cl. 46-214) This application is a division of my application, Serial No. 156,364, filed April 17, 1950, now Patent No. 2,681,739.

This invention relates to a new and improved mechanical toy-more particularly a toy utility or dump truck.

The principal object is to provide a toy truck of the kind mentioned closely resembling the large dump trucks used in cities for garbage disposal equipment, except for example, that, in this toy the travelling dump bucket is raised and lowered by the child turning a crank, whereas in the full sized truck a hydraulic lift is employed, and so forth.

A salient feature is the provision of a single leaf spring attached by one looped end to the rear axle and bearing intermediate its ends on the rear end of the frame and hooked at its other free end onto the free lower end of the hinged rear dump door on the rearwardly swingable dumping body, so that the same spring is used both for closing and opening the door automatically in the to and fro swinging motion of the body, while also furnishing the pull to swing the body rearwardly to the dumping position automatically upon release of the catch that is provided on the front end of the body.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a toy utility or dump truck embodying my invention, showing the bucket raised and the body in dumping position, and

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section through the dump body portion of the truck, on a somewhat larger scale.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding parts in these two views.

Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 4 designates the sheet metal frame or chassis of the toy truck on opposite ends of which pairs of wheels 5 and 6 are mounted for rolling support of the toy so that it may be played with as a pull toy when the child is not using it otherwise. The sheet metal box-like dump body 7 has a bottom wall 8 in which slots 9 are provided slidably receiving lugs 10 provided on the upper ends of upwardly extending brackets 11 provided on the rear end of the frame 4, for hingedly supporting the body 7 on the frame to pivot on an axis in eccentric relation to the rear axle 24. Corner portions 12 of the lugs 10 are bent or twisted out of the plane of the lugs so as to retain the body against displacement from these lugs without interfering with the hinging action. Shoulders 13 on the lugs limit the rearward swinging movement of the body 7. An upwardly bent lug 14 is provided on the frame 4 behind the drivers cab 15 to limit the return movement of the body 7 by abutment with the bottom wall 8. A rear dump or tail door 16 is hinged to the body 7, as by rivets 17 entered through flanges 18 provided on the sides of the door, and serves as a closure for a dump opening 19 provided in the rear of the body. A slot 20 is provided in the free end of the door at the middle and receives the hooked free end 21 of an elongated leaf spring 22 which is anchored by its looped inner end 23 on the rear axle 24 of the truck and attached to the rear end of the frame by engagement of a hooked end 25 of the looped portion 23 and also bears intermediate its ends, as at 26, on the rear end of the frame for support, the spring 22 being flexed for attachment to the door 16, and, prior to such attachment, in its unflexed condition, extending and being shaped approximately as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. The spring 22 is therefore loaded when connected with the door 16, and serves the threefold purpose of (a) closing the door 16 automatically as the body 7 is swung down to the normal or loading position of Fig. 2; (b) opening the door automatically as the body 7 swings to the dumping position shown in Fig. 1, and (c) supplying the pull or spring tension necessary to swing the body 7 from its loading position to its dumping position, the pull of the spring 22 being, of course, transmitted through the door 16 to the body 7, as should be clear from inspection of Fig. 2. The stop 13 limits movement of the body 7 in the dumping direction, but spring 22 is then still under ample tension to hold the body in the dumping position and keep the hooked end 21 connected with the door 16. A leaf spring catch 27 is suitably anchored at its lower end 28 to the front end of the body 7 and has a shoulder 29 intermediate its end which is arranged to enter an opening 30 in the vertical back wall 31 of the cab 15 to lock the body 7 releasably in the lowered or loading position. The curved free end portion 32 of the catch projects sufliciently above the top of the cab 15 to serve as a handle for release of the catch. It is in the return of the body 7 to the loading position that the stop 14 comes into abutment with the bottom wall 8 of the body, and that occurs after the shoulder 29 of the catch 27 snaps into the opening 30 to lock the body in this normal position.

The other features of the dump truck shown are the subject matter of the parent application, Serial No. 156,364, filed April 17, 1950, now Patent No. 2,681,739.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding of the objects and advantages of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a dumping vehicle of the character described, the combination of a frame supported on wheels, including a rear axle, a dump body which is open at its rear end and hinged at that end on said frame to swing on an axis in upwardly spaced substantially parallel relation to said rear axle, a door closing said opening hinged at its upper end to said dump body, an elongated leaf spring attached at one end to said axle and extending rearwardly and bearing intermediate its ends against a rear portion of said frame and flexed upwardly and attached at its rear end to the lower free end portion of said door at a point rearward of said axis holding the door closed so long as the dump body is in the normal lowered position and tending normally to urge said body to swing upwardly to dumping position and at the same time swing the door to open position, and manually operable catch means for releasably locking said body to said frame in lowered position.

2. In a dumping vehicle of the character described, the combination of a frame supported on wheels, a dump body hinged at its rear end on said frame on a transverse axis to swing upwardly to dumping position, a rear door serving as a closure for a dump opening provided in the rear end of said body, said door being hinged to said body at its upper end, an elongated leaf spring rigidly attached by its one end portion to said frame and extending rearwardly and flexed upwardly and attached at its rear end to the free lower end portion of said door at a point rearward of said axis, where-by to hold the door closed when the body is in its normal lowered position but urge said body to swing upwardly to dumping position and at the same time open said door, and manually operable catch means for releasably locking said body to said frame in lowered position.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said leaf spring has a loop on its front end portion arched upwardly and hooked onto the rear axle from below, the extremity of the loop being bent to hook shape and hooked onto the rear portion of the frame against which the intermediate portion of said leaf spring bears for support, whereby said hooked extremity is engaged by said intermediate portion and held against. displacement from the frame.

4. In a vehicle of the character described, the combination of a suitably supported portable frame, a body hinged thereon to swing relative to one edge of said frame as an axis to a raised position, an upright door hinged at its upper end on the hinged side of said body to swing from open to closed position and vice versa on an axis submeans for releasably locking said body to said frame in stantially parallel to the bodys hinging axls, a leaf spring lowered position. rigidly mounted at one end on said frame and connected at the other end dto the lowler end of said ltlloor sodas lt0 References Cited in the file of this patent exert a downwar pull on t e atter in sue space re a- 5 tionship to the bodys hinging axis and in such a direction UNITED STATES PATENTS with respect to the doors hinging axis to urge said body 1,595,510 Fischer Aug. 10, 1926 normally to raised position and at the same time open 1,972,376 Decker Sept. 4, 1934 said door and hold it open, said spring in the lowered 2,201,148 Berger May 21, 1940 position of the body holding said door closed, and catch 10 

